The population in the West Midlands has surged by 300,000 in the last ten years, the Office for National Statistics revealed today.

On census day on March 27, 2011, there were 5.6 million people living in the region, an increase of 6 per cent from 2001 when it was 5.3 million.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published the first results from the 2011 Census today.

By comparison the population across the whole of England and Wales increased by 7 per cent to 56.1 million, the largest growth in population in any 10-year period since census taking began in 1801.

Jil Matheson, National Statistician said: “I’d like to thank everyone in the West Midlands for their support.

“The 2011 Census has been a resounding success and I am proud of the incredible effort that has been put in. It is a rich source of information about the population and its characteristics. Across England and Wales around 19 out of 20 people responded and we have excellent statistical methods for ensuring we have a complete estimate of the whole population.

These statistics will provide valuable information for planners, policy-makers and the public for years to come. “

All local authorities in the West Midlands grew in population. The largest growth was in Rugby (14 per cent) and the smallest growth was 0.3 per cent in North Warwickshire which also had the smallest population (62,000).

Birmingham was the largest local authority by population in the whole of England and Wales with 1.1 million people, an increase of 88,000 (9 per cent) between 2001 and 2011. Birmingham is the only local authority in England and Wales with a population greater than a million.

Birmingham was also the most densely populated local authority in the region with 4,000 people per square kilometre, which equates to 40 people on a rugby pitch. The least densely populated was the County of

Herefordshire, with 88 people per square kilometre.

The local authority with the largest proportion of people aged 65 and over was Malvern Hills with 24 per cent; the smallest proportion in this age group was 13 per cent in Birmingham. Birmingham also had the largest proportion of people aged 19 and under (29 per cent); the smallest proportion in this age group was 21 per cent, in Staffordshire Moorlands.

Across England and Wales there was a 13 per cent increase in the number of children under five, with over 400,000 more under fives in 2011compared with 2001. In the West Midlands there are now 36,800 more children under five compared to 2001, an increase of 12 per cent. Birmingham has the largest proportion of under fives (8 per cent), with the smallest proportion in Malvern Hills (4 per cent).

The total number of households in the West Midlands was 2.3 million.

Birmingham had the largest average household size in the region, with 2.6 people, and Malvern Hills the smallest (2.2).

Glen Watson, Census Director said: “The whole operation has worked well. We met our targets both for response and quality. We’ve had fantastic support from the public, and also from voluntary groups, community groups and local authorities throughout England and Wales. I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone involved, including the 35,000 people who worked on the data collection and helped to make the